the venetian intellectual world 579
political life in Venice; or that of the riminese immigrant Pietro Perle-
one consoling the patrician Jacopo antonio Marcello on the death of his
son; or the narration by Greek-born niccolò Sagundino on the origin and
nature of the ottomans.
But patricians themselves predominated, both in number and in capac-
ity to shape the direction of culture. across three generations of Venetian
humanism (1400–90), in which 92 active humanists may be identified,
64 were members of the patriciate.19 Many of these were intensely involved
in the diplomatic and military events of Venetian expansion on the ter-
raferma and sat on the government councils that directed that enter-
prise. Given these demographic characteristics, it is unsurprising that the
message of Venetian humanism was essentially political. What were the
prevailing themes announced by these voices enlisted in the service of
the state?
Humanist Politics and HistoriographyThe humanist enterprise in Venice was effectively an exercise in national
security. often preemptively, sometimes defensively, the authors presented
in their treatises, letters, and orations a vision of Venice as socially cohesive,
benevolent, and just: an expanded version, more copious in theme and
rich in detail, of the Venice presented by the chroniclers of the 13th and
14th centuries. a few examples will trace out the two major themes: that
of the Venice’s exceptional social harmony; and that of the benevolence
and effectiveness of the Venetian state.
Francesco Barbaro’s treatise On Marriage, mentioned above, ironically
belongs as much to the genre of political comment as to that of domes-
tic handbook: for his stated aim is to establish an ideal of marriage that
would most promote the demographic and cultural success of the Vene-
tian nobility.20 The nobleman must choose a wife, Barbaro argues, whose
physical, intellectual, and moral qualities will enhance her husband’s
status and ensure the wellbeing of their offspring. Similarly, Giovanni
caldiera’s trilogy, based on the three aristotelian books of moral philoso-
phy, aims to guide the formation of an individual and the management of
19 For a statistical analysis of the 92 humanists identified in King, see Venetian
Humanism, esp. Table 8, at p. 299.
20 King, Venetian Humanism, pp. 92–98.